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Having the Right Mindset for Breastfeeding

I smile when a soon to be new mom says they are going to nurse their new bundle of joy. Most all new moms want to nurse their newborns. Some want to do it for the health benefits, and others do it for the money that will be saved on not buying formula. No matter the reason why you want to nurse, you need to be reminded, nursing is harder than you think. You really need a strong mindset. You need to set a goal and try your best to stick with it.

Nursing takes patience. At the beginning there might be hurdles that baby and you have to overcome. It will be so easy to throw in the towel. You will come in contact with people who will say you need to supplement with formula or ones who say that the baby is not gaining enough weight. This is where you need to stand your ground. I was faced with almost throwing in towel with my child. I wrote it, about several months ago (read about that here). Make sure you choose a pediatrician that strongly supports breastfeeding. With my son I was thankful to have a supportive pediatrician due to nursing complications.

Setting a goal before your little one arrives is very helpful. Make sure you let others in your family know your plan and your goals for nursing. My goal for nursing is to nurse my little one until he turns one year old. Then I plan to wean him to pasteurized milk by slowly mixing the two together. You just don't give up nursing over night. Especially when your little one is on a routine. You need to remind yourself of your goal and the benefits all the time. Especially when it is you waking up every 2 hours and not your spouse. When your nipples are cracked and sore or when your little one bites down on you and you are wanting to scream in pain, or when you are using all of your breaks and your lunch at work to pump milk for your little one and your not getting to socialize with co workers, never give up.

As soon as your little one is born, invest in a good double breast pump and breast milk storage bags. Try to store as much milk as possible. You never know when you will need it. There could come a time that your sick and the medicine your on is not in that B category. You might want a night out with friends or your spouse. Or you can be like me and accidentally leave the bottles full of milk that you expressed at work the day before in your breast pump bag overnight and have to pour it out. (That was heart breaking, it was like pouring liquid gold down the drain).

Nursing comes with challanges especially when you work away from the home. This is where a good double pump comes into play. I have always been blessed with an employer that would provide me a place to be able to pump. Check with your supervisor or your HR department to see if they can offer you a quite place, private area for pumping. Remember that freshly expressed milk will stay fresh for over 8 hours on a cooler pack. I have a Medela ice pack that has indention's that curve sorta around the bottle. If I go out shopping or out for the day with my little one, instead of bringing my double pump I make sure I bring my hand held pump. I don't know how many times I have sat in a parking lot covered up with a blanket using it. My theory is that when you run out of milk you packed, just pump some more.Besides all of the challenges that nursing can bring. It is so sweet to cuddle up with your little one and bond with them. Nursing is the best way to go. Good Luck. Have linked this post to the following sites.Welcome to Saturday Blog HopTime to Party a Bouquet of Talent Linky PartyPin Me Linky PartySunday FUNday